Special Blessings Summer Party

We went to the annual Special Blessings summer party for Bella’s limb differences group.  We call it her “arm group”.  Every time we do something with this group or with any of Ari’s groups, we get to be both givers and recipients of information and insight.  We are as learners and teachers.  We both provide and receive support in a way that we didn’t know we were even lacking.

We talked with other parents about starting school and new beginnings and how to coach our kids on how to respond to the excessive attention they get because of their arms.  We talked about where to buy one handed ponytail holders.  We watched videos of doggie amputees.  We heard many an inspiring story about people who learned to change diapers and raise families without any hands or arms at all.  And the kids made some new friends.

Oh, and there was pizza and ice cream and a giant blow up slip n slide.  All in all, it made for a pretty rad afternoon.

      

Gabe’s swimsuit: Gap (sold out).  See similar: here and here   |   Bella’s swimsuit:  Gap   |   Liam’s swimsuit: Target (sold out). See similar: here and here   |   Liam’s rash guard:  Target

Everyday Miracles

I have so much to be thankful for.  Someone I admire said that our Instagram collection is like a cellar that we keep stockpiled full of beautiful moments and memories, that we can take heart from when life isn’t so glorious.  I have to admit that while life is certainly not without its “off” moments (I had a “off” two hours after school today), things are pretty sweet right now, and I have to stock up my cellar while I can.  And with that, here are some of our everyday miracles.

The most amazing trip to Disneyland that we have ever had.  And that’s saying a lot.

A day out in the middle of a gorgeous lake with just my husband and our good friends, Sheena and Scott.  I went tubing with Jake, and I screamed the entire time.  I wasn’t scared, but I was so full of adrenaline that I needed a release.  A release that came in the form of blowing out Jake’s eardrums.

Sweet Tooth Fairy for dessert on my birthday.  One of my best friends of 11 years, Amber, just happens to own this enchanted establishment, and she gave us every sweet that we so much as glanced at.  Sweet Tooth Fairy takes the cake for best cupcake in Phoenix. 

Speaking of fairies, Bella got her first visit from the tooth fairy.  While admiring the hole in her mouth in front of the mirror, she said "This looks so cool. I look like a second grader. Now, I think I need glasses. That would look cute with this."  Worth noting that she said to me earlier that same day, Bella: “Mom, can you take off your glasses?… You know why?”  Me: “Why?”  Bella: “Because you look like Fancy Nancy’s mom”. 

Impromptu trip to Sedona, because we decided we needed this view at lunch.

Our family.  Gorgeous weather.  New Mexican green chile pork stew and a Cuban sandwich that was to die for.

This view out the rolled down car window.

The way the sun looked glistening through the trees and reflecting off Oak Creek. 

That day Liam learned how to sate his own bubble craving, and I found him in the garage doing this.

My family birthday celebration with my sisters and their boyfriends.  They ordered me beautiful charcuterie and bruschetta take-out from Postinos, and we spent quality time late into the night.  Quality time is my favorite.

I feel like this picture of Bella is a metaphor for how she approaches life… with awe and innocence and confidence and skillfulness.

Bella made a new friend at her Special Blessings summer party.  Like Bella, her friend has no need for two hands either.

My view from my bathtub at night.  There will always be a moon picture.

Liam is now a ham. He likes to pretend that he is on a commercial for cereal and applesauce and pretty much anything I ask him to advertise.  He takes a bite and smiles and holds his spoon up on cue. 

The kids built this “fort” without my help.  Without even wanting my help.  New frontiers.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I walked in to see Gabe reading to his sisters in the fort. 

Good Friday Goodness

I’m playing catch up here. 

The older kids had the day off from school on Good Friday.  It was a windy and cool day, a rare thing in April where we live.  We stayed outside as much as possible and did Good Friday good things.

Like dye Easter eggs.  My kids like to hunt for real hardboiled eggs on Easter.  The thought has never occurred to them to ask to hunt for chocolate eggs or jelly bean filled eggs (however they get them in their baskets).  I don’t know if it’s the colored shells or what, but they eat the heck out of the hardboiled eggs and squabble over who gets which one and how many.  Without fail, every Easter, they consistently consume anywhere from 5-8 hardboiled eggs each!  Dry yolks and all.  It’s insanity. 

See those eyes?  That’s why this child gets away with so much.  I’m mush.

Ari was so excited to be dying eggs, and she held her posture the whole hour or more on a bench with no back and no footrest.  Pretty amazing that one.

Liam was in charge of the yellow dye.  I figured, at the very least, the yellow may come out of clothes easier (all the colors came out just fine).  He helped make the straight yellow, orangey yellow, lime green – basically anything that needed a hint of yellow. 

   

Making Ariana happy has got to be one of the most rewarding endeavors.  Making any of my children happy is a wonderful and gratifying thing, but Ari just makes sure to communicate to you, in every possible way, that she is loving her life and that she appreciates every everyday miracle… gently reminding you to do the same. 

 

These pretty babies were dyed with the regular old-fashioned Paas with white vinegar recipe.  No Pinterest worthy methods applied.  The kids chose their own colors and did their thing.  I just arranged them all pretty once they had dried.

Liam flew his first kite.  It was um… adorable.

  

Ariana went to riding therapy way out in the real country as she does every week.  She has such a connection with animals, and she has made so much progress from being up on her horse, Pace.  It isn’t free, and I always end up struggling to stave off anaphylaxis because of my allergies to horses and hay, but she’s worth it. 

 

Bella met a new foal.  We were told that the foal was wary of humans and hadn’t ever had any interest in them.

Bella paid no attention to that disclaimer.

The foal had a change of heart once she got to know Bella.  Bella has that effect on others.  People (and animals) love her for her goodness.  Simple as that.

Cheer!

Last year, we kept hearing about a competitive cheerleading team, called Arizona Heat, that had a division for girls with special needs that they call “Inferno”.  I don’t believe that everything is preordained, but I do believe that some things are brought into your life and are meant to be.  I think that cheer, for us, is turning out to be one of those things.

For Ari, Cheer is a time to enjoy a fun and “typical” activity with girls that may share some of her daily challenges.  It is an opportunity to build friendships, such as with her (long lost) pal Felicity that she met when she was three.  Her Occupational Therapist is one of her coaches, so she felt at ease from day one.  Ari also gets worked out.  She is having to challenge her body in ways that she simply wouldn’t otherwise in her daily routine.

  

Ari also gets a chance to wear a glittery uniform, dance like crazy to loud music, and be applauded by a huge audience.  In other words, she gets to be a star.  It goes without saying that this means the world to me.  What surprised everyone was how much it meant to her.

  

Judging by the way she was completely beaming out there, this may have been close to, if not the happiest two minutes of her life to date.  Of course I cried.

   

Because we had been bringing the whole family along to Ari’s cheer practices, Bella was hand picked by Tommy, the head coach at Arizona Heat (all of the competitive teams) for private coaching.  He said that he saw something special in her, and that he also felt that he wanted to personally challenge himself as well as her to work around her limb difference. 

Whatever he saw in her, as far as strength and skill goes, he is turning out to be right.  Bella has surprised us at just how quickly she has been able to pick up new stunts.  More importantly, though, her confidence about her body’s ability and athleticism has been gaining tremendously.  We are humbled by what a generous and altruistic gift Tommy is giving our little girl.  He is a phenomenal coach, and we couldn’t have been luckier to find him.

   

I have to admit that I never expected that my girls would develop a love of cheerleading, but life has surprised me yet again.  Wherever their passions and joy in life take them, I will be right there.